Bathimg apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 1. E. W. KITCHEN.

BATHING APPARATUS.

No. 398,514. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E.- W. KIT -HEN.

BATHING APPARATUS.

No. 398,514. Patented Feb. 26, 1889*.

iinrrnn stares EMANUEL V. KITCHEN, OF

Parent Urrrcn.

FURLONG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BATHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,514, dated February 26, 1889.

Application filed February 25, 1888. Serial No. 265,270- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMANUEL KITCHEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Furlong, in the county of Bucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bathing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ai 'ipertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in bath-tub attachments, whereby a bather may regulate the supply of water directly to his body, and may readily scrub, sponge, and wipe the back and other portions of the body.

The apparatus, which is designed to rest in a bathtub, consists, essentially, of a seat frame having a rotatable seat thereon upon which the bather may seat and turn himself so as to bring his body under the action of the water supply and rubbers, an upwardlyeXtending vertical frame composed of two side pieces having an intervening passageway, a pair of flanges or guides attached to the inner faces of said side pieces and extending inwardly thereof, a rubber-frame arranged to reciprocate within the flanged frame, sponges and other rubbing and wiping devices removably attached to said rubber frame, an operative rod connected, respectively, to said rubber-frame, a lever under control of the bather to reciprocate the rubbers and wipers, a water-supply pipe removably attached to the main frame, and a valve and valve-rod under the control of the bather for regulatingthe water supply.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation, and Fig. 3 a sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 4 represents a perspective View of a frame adapted to interchangeably receive eitherform of rubber or wiper supports shown. Fig. 5 represents aperspective view of the sponge or rubber carrier with one sponge or rubber in position thereon. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of a removable brush constructed according to my improvements. Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of the removable towel or wiper and its carrier or support.

1 represents the seat-frame; 2, the supporting-legs thereof; 3, the revolving seat for the bather, and i the pivot-support for said seat.

5 represents the main frame of the appara tus, which consists of two uprights, (5 (i, re-

l movably secured at their lower portion by ibolts and nuts 7 to the seat/frame, and at l their upper ends secured together and to a f distance-block, 8, by a bolt and nut, 9, suitable distance-blocks, 10, at the lower portion, in connection with the distance-block 8,serving to maintain the uprights a suitable dis tance apart to permit of the reciprocation therealong of the.rubber-frame.

11 represents metallic strips secured to the inner faces of the uprights 6, so as to project inwardly thereof and form flanges or guideways for the rubber-frame in its reciprocatory movements. The rubber-framecomprises a metal plate or slide, 12, having flanged sides 13, which rest against the slide upon the me tallic strips or ways 11, and a vertical strip of wood, 1i, bolted to said 'metallic slide 12,

transverse holes 16, said rubber-frame hav ing at each end inweirdly-extending notched flanges 17, which engage with the flanged guideways 11, to insure the retention of the rubbei frame in position and insure its smooth reciprocation.

18 represents a guide-rod attached at its upper end by a bolt and nut, 19, or otherwise to the rear lower end of the rubber-frame, said guide-rod loosely depending therefrom and reciprocating in a guard, and main water-supply tube'QO between the lower portion of the uprights 6.

Bolted at 21 to the rear top face of the rubber-frame is an actuating-rod, 22, which at its lower end is connected by a bolt and nut, 23, or in an y other suitable manner, to a hand lever, 24, rockingly journalcd at 25 on a short shaft or bearing, 26, projecting from one side of the front portion of the seat-frame, so as to be within easy reach of the bather sitting upon the seat. lhe bather, as he sits upon the seat, desiring to reciprocate the rubberframe and rubbers thereon, has simply to and having a central vertical slot, 15, and

rock the lever 24 on its bearings whereupon said lever will raise and lower the rod 22 connecting said lever and rubber-frame, and thereby reciprocate said rubber in its bearings.

27 represents the water-supply pipe for supplying water to the bather. lower end is turned at a right angle, as shown at 28, and extends through the slotted lower portion, 29, of one of the uprights (.3 into the central tube, 20.

31 represents a check-valve guarding the bottom open end of the tube 20. This valve opens on the upward stroke of the plunger to admit waterto the tube 20 and closes on the downward stroke, thereby causing the water in the tube 20 to be forced up-through and out at the top of tube 27.

32 represents a valve hinged at 33 to lugs or cars 34, and attached at 35 to a .rod, 36, which extends to the front portion of the seatframe, said rod being notched. on its under edge to engage with a metal or other strip, 37, for the purpose of securing said rod and the tlierctoattached valve in the desired position.

Wren the bather desires the water to pass up through the pipe- 27 and upon his body, he pushes the notched rod 30 rearwardly until the valve 32 is forced against the waste-openin g 30 to close the same, and the forward notch on said rod 36 is then engaged with the strip 37, thereby holding the rod and valve rigidly in place. He then reciprocates the lever 24, so as to draw down the rod 22 and the thereto-attached rubber-frame and rubbers, so as to also draw down the rod 18 within the tube 20. As this rod 18 passes down within the tube 20, the piston 29 on the lower end thereof will force the water contained in the lower portion of the tubes 20 27 up the tube 27 and out through the upper end thereof onto the bather and the rubbers. This operation is repeated by reciprocating the lever 2-l, the water being supplied through valve 31. It will thus be seen that the water is projected upon the bather and the rubbers, soaking the lat ter, while the rubber-frame is in its lowest position, and that an alternate doucing and rubbin g is given the bathers body, while at the same time the rubbers are fully supplied with water to facilitate their cleansing action. By supplying water to the rubbers while in their lowest position they are cleansed from impurities before each rubbin action, Should it be desired, however, to discontinue the flow of water onto the bather, the rod 30 is pulled :lorward and the inner notch engaged with the strip 37, which act draws the valve 32 from and opens the waste-opening 30 and permits the water from the source of supply to escape therethrough on the down stroke of the plunger.

The pipe 27 extends upwardly to and above This pipe at its wardly, so as to project the water flowing therethrough upon the bather upon the seat, the upper angular end of saidpipe being supported in suitable slots or openings in the block between the upper ends of the uprights and held therein with capability of ready removal by a turn-button, c, pivoted to the rear face of said block. The pipe 27 is provided with a valve, (1, near the point where it communicates with pipe 20, which prevents any backwash of the water contained in said pipe 27 when the piston is on its upward stroke.

The rubbers may be of any suitable or desired material and shape. In the drawings I have represented them as consisting of a pair of sponges, -38 38, which are removably secured in any suitable manne as by tying or otherwise, to supports 39, connected together by vertical strips 10, having transverse holes therein. The sponge-receptacles may be of concave or dish shape on their front face, within which sponges of greater area than such recessed portions may be squeezed, by which means the sponges would be automatically held therein by the confined elasticity of the sponges, pressing the sponges outward against the side walls of the recessed portions of the holders. Such sponges may, however, be attached directly to the vertical strips 40.

42 represents a removable brush provided on its rear face with a rearwardly-extending lip or lug, 423, which fits within the slotted portion 15 of the rubber-frame, and is removably attached thereto by a pin, M which passes through the holes 16 in the rubber-frame, and 41 in the strips 40, and through a similar hole, 45, in the lug4-3. If desired, the spongesupports may be formed and removably con nected to the frames 39 in a similar manner to that described with reference to the brush.

46 represents the towel or wiper, which is tied or otherwise attached to aframe, 17 having a reaiwvardly-extending lip or lug, 48,

which has a transverse hole, a9, and is inserted within the slot 15 in the rubber-frame upon the brush being removed therefrom, and is held in position thereon by a pin, as 44, passed through the holes 16 and 19.

The frame-uprights may, if desired, be hinged to fold over when not in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1.. A bathing apparatus adapted to rest within a bath-tub or similar receptacle having water therein and comprising a seat for the bather, a vertical frame conn eeted thereto, a vertical. tube communicating at its lower portion with the water-supply, a pipe connected with said tube and extending to the top of the frame and adapted at its upper end to supply water to the bather and the rubbers, valve mechanism under the control of the bather, adapted to govern the supply of water to the bather, a rubber-frame having rubbers thereon and adapted to reciprocate upon. the frame of the apparatus, a rubberoperating lever connected with said rubberframe, and a piston attached to said rubberirame and adapted to reciprocate within the tube in connection with the water-supply and force water up through the pipe, substani ially as set forth.

2. A bathing apparatus comprising a seat and seat-support, a framing composed oi uprights connected together with an intervening vertical space or passageway, guide-flanges secured to said uprights, a rubber-frame adapted to engage with and reciprocate along said guide-flanges, a g uide-rod depending from said rubber-frame, a tube secured between the lower portion of said uprights and having water-supply and waste openings and a selfclosing valve in its lower end, a water-supply pipe connecting at its lower end with said main supply-tube and extending upwaii'dly therefrom to and projecting inwardly beyond the uprights, an operating-rod connected at one end to the rubbenframe, a hand-lever connected to the lower end of said opeiating-rod,

rubbing devices removably attached to said rulj)ber-i'rame, a valve hinged to the frame and adapted to close the waste-openin g in the main water-supply pipe, and a valve-rod adapted to operate said valve and hold the same either open or closed, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a bathing apparatus, of a framing having a pair of uprights and distance-Mocks secured thereto to secure said uprights in position a suitable distance apart, a main water-sup iily pipe having a waste-openin g therein, a water-conveying pipe 3 5 removably connected at its lower end with said supply-pipe and extending upward there from, and having a. right-angled upper end, a slotted block attached. to the top of the uprights to receive the upper end of said water-' 0 conveying pipe, a turn-button pivoted on said block to hold said pipe in position, a rubberl'raine adapted to tit and reciprocate between said uprights, removable rubbing devices connected to said rubber fra-me, and devices, sub- 45 stanti ally as described, for attaching said rubbGl fl'EllllO and rubbers and regulating the passage of water through the conveyin g-pip e, sub stantially as set forth.

4:. In a bathing apparatus, the combina- 50 tion, with a rubber-firmne substantially as described, ot' a sponge rubber comprising a pair of vertical strips adapted to fit over and embrace said rubber-frame, a sponge receptacle or support connected to either end of said 5 5 strips, and sponges removably secured. to said receptacles, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

